# Timing Guide

## March 30 2005

Correct timing of your RaceGun grip is especially important with the Monkey firmware, as it can be set to fire at the maximum cycle rate of the pneumatics. Incorrectly set timing will cause dropoff, burping, missed shots and all sorts of other nasty problems. This is a quick guide to setting your timings (particularly Open and Close times) to ensure best operation.

- Start with reasonable defaults - say 10, 10, 25, 25, 25. Gas up the marker, but do not load paint yet. Ensure that the marker is mechanically set up - LPR pressure, searlug, etc.
- First we will tune the Open time. Put the grip in Semi mode, disable the ACE, set ROF cap to 1, and reduce the Load time to 1. Pull the trigger several times, slowly (the first pull may not fire.) If it fires reliably, try reducing the open time a little; when it starts to burp and uncock itself, increase the open time until it works again, then add 1-2ms for safety. Note: the Open time is not actually used when the ACE is active; instead it relies on the ACE for the timing. But it should be set correctly for when yuo need to disable the ACE.
- Now we will set the Close time. Start with Close set to the Open time you just established. Set the Load time as high as it will go (75ms). Walk the trigger as fast as you can. Every shot should sound the same as the first. If the shot sounds stifled, or does not sound at all, increase Close time until it sounds right. Add 1-2ms for safety.
- Once those are set, you can try reducing Dwell time if you want to squeeze all you can out of the grip. Remove the hopper and fire holding your hand over the feed tube reducing dwell 1ms at a time. If the dwell is too low, you will either experience blowback from the feed tube, or the shot will start to sound weak. Find the minimum working setting, and add 1ms.
- Shot time does not affect the cycle speed of the marker; normally setting it to 6-8ms should be good. If it is too low, the sear may not release the hammer on every shot.
- Set a sensible Load time for your loader - 35ms is good for an agitated hopper, with a force-fed hopper you can probably get away with less. This is used when the ACE is disabled (with ACE enabled the load time is determined by the ACE seeing the paint.)
- Go and shoot some paint. If you get dropoff or multiple balls loading into the barrel at high rates of fire, increase Close time a little more (it may surprise you how high this has to be compared to Open time.) Having too low a Close time may also cause misfires when shooting fast, as the pneumatics lag behind the timing cycle and the ACE sees the bolt and thinks it is paint. Increasing Dwell a couple of ms may also alleviate this problem.
- Set the firing mode you want, set the ROF cap if needed, shoot muppets!

Copyright © 2005 Richard Garnish. All Rights Reserved. Original firmware, and parts of this code are Copyright © Racegun Products. All rights acknowledged.

Unauthorised use, copying, distribution or modification of this software is strictly prohibited. This program is not on general release, and is supplied for testing only. The author's right to release this software has been granted by Racegun Products.

This software is provided as-is, with no guarantees of usability or fitness for any particular purpose. The software is designed to be legal for use in major tournaments, by conforming to accepted rules governing the operation of semi-automatic paintball markers; however, it is always possible to adjust electronically-operated markers to function outside the scope of the rules, and errors may remain in the software which may cause the marker to operate in a way that is not considered tournament legal. Thus it is the user's responsibility to ensure and satisfy himself that the operation of the marker conforms to the rules and regulations required of it.

While every effort has been made to ensure this software is free of errors, and safeguards have been built in to avoid unintended discharge of the marker due to software malfunction, no liability can be accepted by the author for any reason whatsoever for any damage, loss or injury caused by or resulting from the use of this software.

USE THIS SOFTWARE AT YOUR OWN RISK.

Paintball can be a dangerous sport! Always wear eye protection designed for paintball use, and always ensure that a secure barrel-blocking device is in place on the marker when it is not in use.

Be aware that use of this software may invalidate any manufacturer's warranty which may have applied to the marker or parts thereof, and that the author provides no warranty of any kind to redress this. Racegun representatives have indicated their approval of this software, but cannot be expected to provide support for it. If you have problems, it is recommended you revert to Racegun's released firmware before raising support issues with them.